The present invention is an alternative fastening mechanism for footwear, in particular for sport shoes such as hockey skates. Traditional hokey skates use shoelaces to secure the shoe to the user's foot, a means that has not changed in over 100 years other than bulky general buckles used mainly for kids' skates. Especially in hockey, shoelaces do not provide adequate protection and comfort. Traditional shoelaces are composed of strands of synthetic fibers and as such provide little to no physical protection to the foot of the wearer against pucks, sticks, or blades. Additionally, tying shoelaces to proper tightness is also quite difficult and as a result, time consuming for the wearer. If the shoelaces are tightened too much, then pressure points along the foot may develop and cause improper blood circulation. If the shoelaces are too loose, then the wearer's athletic performance may suffer because the shoe gives, bends, or shifts too much on the foot. Additionally, synthetic fibers are by nature slippery and often times cause the shoelaces to come undone when experiencing minor fluctuations in tension caused by the wearer's skating. This is especially problematic if the wearer is wearing gloves, as is the case in hockey because it will result in a significant downtime for the wearer while he skates off the ice to retie his shoes.
The present invention provides a solution to the aforementioned problems with traditional fastening mechanisms. The present invention is a plurality of overlapping buckles which runs along the length of the tongue, similar to a traditional shoelace configuration. The present invention is easier to fasten and adjust than shoelaces. The overlapping configuration of the present invention provides significantly better protection for the feet. Furthermore, because the individual components are not linked to each other the wearer may adjust the tightness to his or her comfort level and in turn promote proper blood circulation in the foot.